


kiss me under the light of a thousand stars

by gabilliam (vvhymack)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Some Cursing, tenkun is the primary ship idk why its not showing up in order in the tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 14:55:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16431590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vvhymack/pseuds/gabilliam
Summary: kuntober week ii ; prompt ; I called the wrong number and started talking about my life and you only interrupted me after a few minutes of me revealing some pretty personal stuff and now you’re invested in my life.





	kiss me under the light of a thousand stars

**Author's Note:**

> i miss ten and kun. unbeta'd.

 

This was _stupid_. Everything was _stupid_. This fucking dance studio, his _ex-_ fucking instructor, this fucking city, his fucking phone for dying when Ten needed it most, _Ten_ , for being dumb enough to move to a whole new country to pursue his passions like a fucking  _dumbfuck._ Fuck.

He was teary-eyed as he punched the haphazardly memorized number in a payphone. He pressed his forehead against the cool glass protecting him from the outside world as the phone rang. _Pick up, goddamnit._ His mind was a whirlwind and Ten didn’t know what he was going to say when the phone was picked up except let out an inhuman wail, which was exactly what he did the second the line picked up and there was breathing on the other side.

“ _Johnny,_ ” Ten wailed with all his might and didn’t even let Johnny respond and bulldozed on. “They fucking fired me, in class, in front of _everyone_ , Johnny.” He let out a sniffle and the other side of the line was still quiet, which Ten appreciated and took it as Johnny giving him time to let it all out. And there was a lot for Ten to let out.

“It’s not my fault I got sick and they still insisted I come into work, _of course,_ my form wasn’t going to be great and I’d make mistakes but this shit after the landlord threatened to up my rent this month - _threatened, Johnny_ \- and I haven’t eaten since last night and- _Why_ did I move to this fucking country with it’s fucking hierarchy where you can’t tell elders that they’re _wrong_ and- Can you _please_ just come pick me up, I can hear it starting to rain and I’m tired and I’m going to get sick again and I can’t do that because I need to find a new job, apparently, to be able to pay my higher rent.”

Ten finally ended his tirade close to tears, the soft background noise of the rain comforting in the knowledge that Johnny was on his way, probably as they spoke.

“Uh, okay,” An accented voice that distinctly wasn't Johnny said and Ten froze, his heart stopping. “I’m- sorry?”

“Oh, my God,” Ten choked out, staring at the payphone in horror and betrayal. He’d just ranted about his fucking tragedy of a life to a _stranger_ at 10 p.m. on a payphone. The voice on the other end was soft and hadn’t hung up on him yet, though. Ten had just ranted in English and maybe the person on the other end hadn’t understood him, just his distressed tone.

“I’m sorry,” Ten said in Korean instead and a sigh of relief filtered in from the other end of the phone.

“You speak Korean?” The voice said, even though their Korean was also accented. Hm. Ten briefly wondered where the person was from. “I was going to use Google Translate.”

“Yes, I speak Korean, I’m sorry, I meant to call my friend but it seems I don’t have his number memorized as well as I thought. We, as a generation, have taken our phones remembering numbers for us for granted. I’m sorry to bother you, have a nice night.” Ten went to hang up but stopped when the voice on the other end protested.

“Wait, how will you get back home? Are you okay? Also, your landlord can’t threaten to raise your rent, that’s not allowed. _Also_ , you should eat, please,” The voice said in a rushed tone, as though waiting for the tone indicating Ten had hung up. Ten gaped at the phone.

“I- You understood me?” Ten asked.

“I understand English, I just don’t speak it very well, or at all,” The voice said sheepishly, as though embarrassed at their own language skills. “I don’t mean to pry, I’m just- concerned. You sound young.”

“Oh, and how old are you?” Ten wasn’t sure why he asked, why he cared since his immediate priority should be getting home and charging his phone.

“I- I’m 25- wait, this isn’t about me,” The voice in the other said, obviously flustered and Ten smiled to himself, for the first time that day.

“Yeah? So am I. You were born in ‘96?”

“Yes?”

“What month?”

“J-January?”

“Damn it, you are older,” Ten grumbled.

“I am,” the voice said softly. “How are you going to get home?”

Ten sighed and glared at his dead phone, then at the rain pouring outside.

“I’ll probably get a cab or something, who needs to eat?” Ten said somewhat hysterically, which he could blame on the tiredness and the ghost of the fever coming back.

“You need to eat,” The voice said, saturated with concern that made Ten’s eyes water again. “Where are you?”

Ten contemplated it. He didn’t know why this stranger was asking but he didn’t see any harm in telling him, considering it was his place of- well, his _former_ place of employment and also a public space.

“I’m in front of the Sooman Dance Institute. Why?” Just then, a cough wracked his frame and he could hear the concern grow palpable on the other side. Or maybe it was just his tiredness feeding into his delusions.

“I’ll send someone to pick you up and take you home,” The man said, seemingly moving around now.

“What- No, dude, you don’t need to do that-” Ten protested, though his protests were weak. He felt pathetic enough that he was willing to accept rides from strangers. Either he dies in the back of a shady car or he dies from exhaustion right there in the booth.

“Don’t be silly, Sicheng doesn’t mind,” For a horrible moment, Ten thought the man was referring to himself in the third person which was pointedly creepy but was reassured a second later when he heard a thump and the man continued. “Get up, Sicheng, you need to drive.”

“Why,” The voice pouted distantly. The man responded quickly in Mandarin, too fast for Ten to pick up or decipher what was being said. “Alright, alright, I know I joked about you adopting people off the street but I wasn’t being serious.”

“Hi, sorry, he’s up. He should be there in 20 minutes, is that okay?” The man asked worriedly.

“Is it okay? Dude, you don’t have to do this, really-”

“I can’t, in good conscience, leave you out there when I could have helped. Do you remember the number you dialled? You should let me know you made it home safely, I’ll worry if you don’t.”

“I- I think so?” Ten repeated the number he’d thought was Johnny’s and Kun confirmed it definitely was _not_ Johnny’s. “I’m sorry again. My friend recently got a new number for some godforsaken reason and I haven’t memorized it yet, clearly.”

“It’s alright,” The voice on the other end said mildly, as though it really was alright. Ten almost believed him. “Sicheng is just leaving - _Don’t forget that, hey! Take Jaehyun with you!_ \- and he’s out. You’d think he’d treat me with more respect since I feed and house him.”

“Well, you did wake him up at 10 p.m. to go pick up a stranger,” Ten responded.

“I didn’t wake him, he was just lying around. Shouldn’t payphones hang up at some point?”

“I have a lot of coins,” Ten admitted. He’d been consistently feeding the payphone.

“You should be saving those for food,” The voice said gently. “They’ll be in a silver sedan. If you see two ridiculously beautiful people approaching you, it’s them. Don’t forget to let me know you’re okay, okay?”

“No, wait,” Ten said, somewhat desperately. The last thing he wanted to do was be alone right then, and the other voice sounded like it was about to depart. He knew he’d have a breakdown if he was left alone right then for even 10 seconds. “Can you stay on the line until they get here? Why is there two of them?”

“Well, I don’t know if you’re some crazy serial killer,” The voice said reasonably. “Jaehyun could probably take you. Sicheng could too but he’s better in hand to hand combat than dealing with potentially pointy things. You don’t have knives on you, right?”

“Nope,” Ten said in a daze. “What if _you’re_ some crazy serial killer?”

“I’m not,” The voice said brightly. “You called me, remember?”

“Then at least give me your name,” Ten asked, unsure if he’d get an answer.

“Kun,” The man said softly. “I suppose I am asking you to trust me with taking you home, it can’t hurt to give you my name. What’s yours?”

“I’m Ten. Where’re you from, Kun? You don’t sound Korean,” Ten said, sliding down to sit on the floor, closing his eyes.

“I’m from China. What about you? Where did you move to this _fucking_ country from?” Hearing Kun curse was amusing and infinitely interesting.

“Thailand,” Ten told him and then laughed to himself. “You really heard the whole spiel, huh?”

“Yup,” Kun said apologetically. “It’s okay. I understand. You’ll find another job that isn’t at some shitty place that expects you to work while you’re sick. And you should tell Sicheng about your landlord problem. He knows lawyer people, probably, I mean, Sicheng knows a lot of people, but your landlord can’t do that.”

“I know,” Ten said. “But I’m a foreigner so I guess I’m easier to bully and scam. It's okay. I'll just hit up my friend Doyoung. He is- terrifying.”

“I know,” Kun said sympathetically. “Really. I’ve felt that way a lot as well. Just- know your way around things. And have Korean friends.”

“Yeah. The _audacity_ of this woman, though. To imply that I don’t respect my elders because of where I’m from. We respect our elders! Just because we don’t bend over backwards letting them do whatever they want doesn’t mean we’re lesser than- _urgh_.”

“Mhm,” Kun hummed.

“And I was being polite! She was doing it wrong, the students would have strained their muscles!” Ten huffed then immediately felt bad. Here he was, ranting to a stranger _again_. “I’m sorry. I’m ranting agai- _AH!_ ” Ten let out an ungodly scream as he opened his eyes and saw a face looking back at him, concerned.

“What?” Kun asked, suddenly alert. “Are you okay?”

The door to the payphone booth swung open and the blond looked down at him.

“Are you the one talking to Kun-ge?” The boy asked and Ten sighed in relief.

“Is that Sicheng?” Kun asked, the voice tinkering out loud enough for the other boy to hear.

“It is,” The boy, Sicheng apparently, said and bent to pick up Ten’s gym bag. “Come on.”

“Uh, I’ll talk to you later,” Ten said awkwardly into the phone.

“Yeah! Don’t forget to let me know you’re okay! I’m serious, I worry,” Kun replied, anxiety clear in his phone. Ten repeated the number and Kun confirmed it before they said their goodbyes and hung up. The boy, Sicheng, was stood beside a silver sedan as Kun had said, looking like some kind of model. He looked at Ten as he approached and he smiled softly, even if his eyes were still weary. Ten could understand that. He opened the back door for Ten and Ten thanked him quietly and got in, wondering if this was a mistake when he saw the driver and paused.

“Jaehyun?” Ten said incredulously and the driver looked up from his phone at the rearview mirror then physically turning around in shock.

“Ten? What the fuck?”

“Oh, my God,” Ten exhaled, falling back against the seat. Seeing Jaehyun, one of Johnny’s best friends and coworker, immediately put him at ease. “Oh, _God_.”

“Dude, are you okay?” He heard Jaehyun ask softly but his eyes were falling shut. He felt a cool hand press against his forehead momentarily.

“Is he okay?” He heard Sicheng say distantly.

“Yeah,” Jaehyun said. “He doesn’t have a fever, it’s fine, shut the door.”

Ten lost track of time and consciousness on the way to his place and when he came to, it seemed the car had been standing idle in front of his apartment building for a while now, both Jaehyun and Sicheng preoccupied with some game on their phone. As Ten watched them for a moment and let their quiet commentary sink in, Ten realized they were playing against each other. Ten got up and they both immediately looked up and back.

“Hey,” Jaehyun asked, in his warm, kind voice. “Are you alright?”

“Been better,” Ten said honestly. “Could be worse.”

“What happened? How did you reach _Kun_ of all people? Why didn’t you call Johnny? Or Taeyong?”

“I _thought_ I was calling Johnny but I dialled the wrong number,” Ten said sheepishly. “I- I’ll tell you about it later, alright?”

“Yeah, sure, come on, I’ll walk you up,” Jaehyun said, getting out of the car and grabbing his bag and another bag. Ten barely protested, allowing Jaehyun to lead him to his floor, to his apartment, to his bed-

“Nope,” Jaehyun said, grabbing his arm before he made it into his bedroom. “Eat first.”

“I don’t have any energy to cook right now, Jaehyun-ah,” Ten complained as Jaehyun manhandled him into the couch.

“You don’t have to cook. Kun sent food, you just sit here and don’t fall asleep,” Jaehyun said firmly.

“Who is this Kun person, anyway? Why have I never met them?” Ten asked, thinking about odd it was that he contacted and trusted the one person who was vetted by Jaehyun, one of the softest, nicest people Ten knew.

“I’m surprised your paths haven’t crossed too,” Jaehyun said from the kitchenette. “Sicheng and I went to university together. Kun is kind of like his older brother, but not really, but kind of.”

“Hm,” Ten mulled, too tired to do anything with the information presented to him. He ate whatever Jaehyun put in front of him, not even registering what exactly it was, just that it was delicious, washed up when Jaehyun pushed him towards the bathroom and changed into the pyjamas that were shoved in there with him. When he got to his bed, it was in better condition that Ten had left it earlier when he’d woken up in a rush. Jaehyun came back into the room, placing some medicine on his bedside table, along with bottled water and putting his phone on charge. Ten, in his half-asleep state, thanked whatever deity was looking into his pathetic life for Jung Jaehyun. He felt another hand on his forehead and he let his eyes fall close instantly and revelled in the sensation of being tucked in a moment later. He could still hear Jaehyun tinkering around his room but Ten fell into a deep slumber not long after, blissfully leaving the plane of the conscious.

He woke up naturally, not to an alarm blaring, and blinked blearily. He looked for his phone and found it charged on his beside, still switched off. The previous night came rushing back and Ten sunk back into his bed, letting out a deep sigh. Everything didn’t seem quite as bad as they had the previous night, just exhausting. Ten was _tired_ and he knew he’d eventually get up and get his life back on track and honestly- he just wanted to rest for a few days.

 _Kun_.

Ten shot up, grappling for his phone and switching it on, the number he’d memorized last night running through his mind, as well as Kun’s soft voice telling him he got worried. Worrying Kun was the last thing Ten was going to do after all the other had done for him, so help him _God_.

Finally, the phone switched on and Ten stabbed the number onto the screen and waited with baited breath as it rang. And rang. And rang before losing connection and dropping.

Had he misremembered _again?_ Well, he could ask Jaehyun for Kun’s number. Should he? Of course, he should. He sat staring at his phone and then at the wall in front of him, not wanting to deal with any of his friends that day. Kun didn’t count.

He almost yelled when the phone started ringing, the number he had memorized staring back at him.

“Hello?” He answered quietly.

“Ten?” Came Kun’s soft voice. “I’m sorry I couldn’t pick up earlier, I wasn’t looking at my phone.”

“Hi,” Ten squeaked out. It was different talking to Kun now, in broad daylight, coherent. “Um, it’s me! Ten!”

“Yes, I figured,” Kun said, amused. Ten flushed. Why was he  _flushing?_

“Just, you know, checking in. Letting you know I’m okay.”

“Thank you for that. Did you eat?” Kun asked and Ten fell back into the bed.

“I did last night, thank you for the food.”

“Ten, it’s past 10 a.m. I sent a lot of food, go eat breakfast,” Kun softly scolded him.

“What’re you, my mother?” Ten scoffed, taking his blanket and pulling it over his head.

“Not yet, do you need me to be?” Kun shot back and Ten stuck out of his tongue before realizing Kun couldn’t see him.

“I will, I will,” Ten assured him. “I just got up.”

“Okay, good,” Kun conceded. Silence reigned and Ten wondered if Kun had hung up.

“Did you hang up?” Ten asked. He heard a laugh from the other side and Ten accepted that his duty when he was put on his earth was to make Kun laugh.

“You could have just checked,” Kun said.

“Hm, I could have. That would require energy I don’t have,” Ten pouted, hugging a pillow close.

“You’d have energy if you ate,” Kun said with a surprising amount of snark. Just then, Ten heard his door open and close, along with loud footsteps leading to his room. He didn’t even get up, only peeking out from under the covers just in time to see Johnny swing the door open. He went back under the covers immediately and heard Johnny sigh deeply. _Good_. That’s what he got for making Ten memorize the wrong number.

“Ten, get up,” Johnny said gently. “Did you eat?”

“He didn’t,” Kun’s voice rattled out of the phone, not nearly loud enough for Johnny to hear but enough for Ten to glare at the phone. He shushed the phone and whispered goodbye and hung up. He continued lying under the blankets, curled up, almost falling back asleep when Johnny lifted the covers enough to join him in his fortress of solitude.

He didn’t say anything, knowing Ten would break eventually. Sometimes, Ten _hated_ how well Johnny knew him.

“Everything is the worst,” Ten finally whined. Johnny hummed understandingly, settling beside Ten even if his feet were hanging out of the covers. “I got _fired_.”

“Did they give you notice?” Johnny asked, allowing Ten to cuddle up next to him and started petting his hair.

“No, but I don’t wanna go back,” Ten said. It was probably against some labour rights to just fire Ten without good reason but honestly, this might have been a blessing in disguise because Ten had really hated working there. It was a good job and Ten enjoyed the essence of it but the people and the way the management was run made him dread every day and they’d told him they’d bump his pay after a couple of months and then they hadn’t.

“Okay,” Johnny responded. “That’s okay. We can find a new job.”

Ten snorted to himself. It would a lot harder than Johnny made it out to be but he appreciated the sentiment. He appreciated the cuddles even more and allowed Johnny to drag him out of bed after a while and feed him, all while whining about how unfair the world was being. Johnny didn’t leave until later into the evening, promising Ten that he’d talk to his landlord.

Once Ten settled onto his couch alone, TV still showing the paused screen of a show from Johnny’s stolen Netflix, he pulled out his phone and looked through it, wanting to get rid of all the red notification signs.

His work had emailed him, early in the morning, terminating his contract. Suppressing an impulse to send back, “Fuck you, I quit!”, he flagged the email and forwarded it to Doyoung, who responded with a smiley face that sent glee and terror shooting down Ten’s spine.

He had two unread texts, one from Jaehyun and one from a number he actually did recognize, making him smile.

 _jaehyun_ _  
_ are you feeling better? :)

 _You_  
ish  
thank u for taking care of me last night :(  <3

 _jaehyun_  
dont worry abt it!!  
it was mostly kun anyway :)  
have u eaten

 _You_  
yes and there’s a ton of tupperware now in my apt  
omg do u think i should cook smth to send back to kun?

 _jaehyun_  
after all he did for u, ur gonna poison him? :/

 _You_ _  
_ meanie

Jaehyun had a point, though. Ten couldn’t really cook for shit. He could do the basics and feed himself more than just ramen but he wasn’t really anywhere near good at it and Kun’s food had tasted _good_ like he actually gave a shit about cooking.

 _You_ _  
_ it’s the thought that counts anyway

With that, he closed the Jaehyun conversation and opened the other one, quickly saving it as Kun before responding to the text.

 _Kun_  
sorry to bother you but i hope you’re feeling better!

 _You_  
thank u uwu i am  
thanks for helping me out last night  
i’m gonna give u ur tupperware back i swear

 _Kun_  
i didn’t think you weren’t dshfadskj

 _You_  
i was also thinking about sending u food back but then jaehyun quickly reminded me of my less than stellar cooking skills

 _Kun_  
its okay haha we can’t all be jaehyun in the kitchen

 _You_  
you cook so well though!!

 _Kun_  
thank u omg

 _You_  
i cant cook but let me take u out to dinner to repay you

 _Kun_  
that’s not necessary!! i was just  
Doing A Nice Thing

 _You_  
we have to meet anyway for me to give u back ur tupperware, lemme just do smth for u  
nothing fancy bc ya hoe’s still broke :D

 _Kun_  
lets meet for coffee!  
when’re you free?

 _You_  
well im currently unemployed so  
all the time :D

 _Kun_  
oh right i’m sorry :(  
its ok! time off is important too!  
how’s tomorrow evening?

Ten smiled at Kun’s unwavering optimism and confirmed that he was available and they set up a time and place. A voice in his brain whispered that it looked a lot like a date and he told that voice to kindly shut the fuck up before queuing the next episode of the show and falling asleep to it.

The next day, Ten busied himself with menial tasks, cleaning out the tupperware after consuming all the food inside them and cleaning up his apartment as well, finally unpacking his dance bag from the night he got fired. Nearing lunchtime, he checked his phone and saw a text.

 _Kun_  
drink some ginger tea so you don’t get sick again!

Ten did exactly that while trying to find Kun on social media, coming up empty each time. He was close to going through their mutual friends' picture and looking through the comments but stopped himself. He was going to meet him in a few hours. There was no need for any of this. Instead, he shot Jaehyun a text.

 _You_  
i’m meeting kun today what does he look like

 _jaehyun_  
cute uwu

 _You_  
unhelpful

 _jaehyun_  
shouldn’t u be asking him?

Fair enough.

 _You_  
what do u look like so i can spot u at the cafe

 _Kun_  
orange hoodie

 _You_  
what if there are multiple orange hoodies

 _Kun_  
i know what u look like don’t worry

 _Not_ fair but Ten didn’t say so. As the hour approached closer, Ten wondered if he should dress up before shooting his own idea down. In the end, he did end up making himself look more than presentable, if not as fancy as he could go. After all, Kun did say he was in a hoodie. He texted Jaehyun and Johnny as he neared the cafe with a simple “Going to meet Kun incase I end up dead!”, receiving Jaehyun’s less than comforting reply of “I’m not going to send Kun to prison :(” just as he entered the cafe.

There _was_ only one person with an orange hoodie and Ten stopped in his tracks, causing someone to bump into him and exclaim and that’s how Ten found himself staring into Kun’s eyes. They crinkled into a smile after a moment of surprise and Kun waved at him. Ten’s feet took him to the table and he plopped down opposite the man, setting the bag of tupperware by his feet.

“Hi,” Kun said, eyes twinkling- _twinkling, what the fuck_ \- as he looked Ten, for some reason expecting him to a functioning person in front of a ridiculously beautiful man. Ten snapped to his senses. _He_ was a ridiculously beautiful man too! He could be smooth! He wouldn’t be rendered speechless by someone else’s looks!

“Hi!” Ten said brightly, extending a hand which Kun shook. “I’m Ten! Were you waiting long?”

“No, it’s alright!” Kun replied. A moment of awkward silence almost extended into two when Ten grasped at whatever he could.

“Are you busy?” He asked, waving at the laptop and notes spread in front of Kun, phone precariously close to falling off.

“Oh! No, I just brought work home with me,” Kun said sheepishly.

“That can become a bad habit, you know,” Ten said, enjoying watching Kun flush, proving it probably already _was_ a bad habit. “What do you work as?”

“I’m a producer,” Kun replied, already packing up his things. Ten got up quickly, remembering his promise to feed the man something.

“I’m going to order something, what do you drink?”

Kun looked up in surprise, as though he’d momentarily forgotten he was in a cafe and looked at the counter and then back at himself packing up.

“Just give me a moment,” Kun said and Ten stopped him hurrying.

“My treat, obviously,”

“Oh, no, that’s not nec-”

“My. Treat,” Ten cut him off, looking Kun in the eye. Kun accepted his defeat and told Ten his order, continuing packing up much more slowly once Ten waltzed off to order. Ten pulled out his phone as he stood in line.

 _You_  
so none of u thought to tell me that kun is Hot huh

 _johnny_  
you never asked

 _You_  
i DID ask JAEHYUN what he looked like

 _jaehyun_  
i told u he was cute

 _You_  
CUTE does not COVER IT

Ten closed his phone, having a mini dilemma about whether he should outrageously flirt with the other boy or not. He decided _not_ to, at least currently, since he had to find a new job and deal with his living situation. He went back level headed and almost changed his mind when Kun smiled softly at him, the table now clear.

“I got you a little cake,” Ten said, placing it front of Kun. “For not letting me die out on the streets.”

“Ah, thank you,” Kun said softly, pulling the cake slice towards himself. “You didn’t have to.”

“You didn’t have to send a car for me and yet here we are,” Ten responded, falling back into the chair and watched Kun sip his drink carefully, laughing when he burnt his tongue. “You’re supposed to wait.”

Kun shot him a miffed looked and Ten simply smiled back serenely. Kun blew the cup a few more times before turning his attention back to Ten.

“How’re things going? With your job and your landlord?” He asked and Ten was surprised Kun remembered specifics from his incoherent rambling. As Ten explained his situation, Kun listened carefully and nodded and hummed and gave input at the right moments. It wasn’t long after that Kun had cooled his drink enough, finally taking a good long sip and closing his eyes, humming in happiness, causing Ten to pause his rant.

It would be rude to stare but Ten wasn’t known for his tact and as his eyes trailed past the closed eyes and the button nose and the pink, bitten lips, Ten felt something knocking his breath out.

The image stayed with Ten, beyond the next hour or so they spent together, well into the week as Ten tried to pick his life back up. His landlord hadn’t bothered him in a while, but he’d get withering looks occasionally. His job search, however, wasn't going as well. Most studios or institutes weren’t looking and agencies had a long process he knew he could survive but he needed money _soon_ and agencies seemed to work on their own timeline.

In between going through job listings and going to job interviews, he tried to wind down, knowing this would be the only downtime he would get before he was thrown back into full-time employment and so he found himself in places he hadn’t gotten the chance to go. He went the used bookstore, he went to art exhibits and pop-up shows, he finally wasn’t too exhausted to go to underground shows again. He went to cafes, trying new ones and finding himself back at the one where he met Kun, their empty table reminding him of the messages on his phone. He still talked to Kun, their conversations sometimes running on for hours, their texts spanning days. He’d send him pictures of the menu and ask him to pick something for him. Kun’s choices always tasted better.

He got to see his friends more too, showing up at Johnny and Jaehyun’s studio, getting nagged into guesting for them. That’s how he ended up in this situation, with Johnny and Jaehyun in their studio while Ten sat on the other end, with the producers and, of all people, Sicheng. He’d said he was there waiting for Jaehyun to finish and had remained silent from then on, only occasionally throwing Ten glances that Ten _felt_.

“What?” Ten finally asked in English, watching Sicheng jump and then give him a small smile. It softened his look and he looked less intimidatingly handsome and more boyish, Ten suddenly noticing his sheepish smile and mismatched ears.

“I’m sorry,” Ten continued in Korean. “You keep looking at me.”

“How are you doing?” Sicheng asked.

“Alright. Would be doing better if I had a job,” Ten said wistfully.

“Kun told me about that,” Sicheng said, playing around with his phone as he was prone to do. In the short time he’d spent with the boy, Ten noticed he was a little bit of an oddity, perhaps not having the means to communicate well enough but still being around people, occasionally pitching in. “There are no opening in the dance studio I work at, or I’d help out.”

“You dance?” Ten asked, already interested.

“Traditional Chinese dance,” Sicheng nodded, looking up properly at Ten. “I’m working to branch out more now though.”

They talk a bit more, more comfortable with a familiar topic, even if both of them struggle with the language occasionally, relying on gestures. Grandiose gestures at times, getting glares from the producers. It isn’t until Johnny and Jaehyun are wrapping up and their conversation has slowed down that Ten recalls a piece of information Sicheng gave him earlier.

“Kun talks about me?” He asked and Sicheng’s eyes widened before he tried to play it cool.

“I mean- yes. In passing, you know. Like a normal person,”

“Really?” Ten raised an eyebrow, squinting his eyes, which couldn’t have been a pretty look but it seemed to crack Sicheng.

“He’s added you to people he rants about while cooking. First, it just used to be us, welcome to the family,” Sicheng gave him a toothy smile and thumbs up. Whatever retort Ten had was interrupted by Jaehyun and Johnny reentering the room. He didn’t miss the way Sicheng brightened up in Jaehyun’s presence. It was running late, and Sicheng and Jaehyun said they were going to grab dinner before watching a movie and crashing at Jaehyun’s place. They offered Johnny and Ten to come with but the two declined, having plans with pizza and beer back at Ten’s place.

It was nearly past 2 a.m., with Ten’s sock covered feet snuggled under Johnny’s thighs when Ten decided to take the leap.

“I think I wanna ask Kun out,” Ten admitted and Johnny paused before turning to Ten with pizza still hanging from his mouth. It was nice to see Johnny like this, a sight only a few people got since Johnny was polite and sociable around other people.

“Then why don’t you?” Johnny asked. Ten gestured wildly around at himself.

“Do I look like I have time to _date?_ ” Ten pouted.

“Well- yeah. It’s not like you have a job- _ouch_ ,” Johnny rubbed his thigh where Ten’s foot had struck before wiggling back to their warm home. “You don’t have to go all out or whatever, just hang out. Like friends. It doesn’t have to mean something if you don’t want it to. Isn’t that how most dates are anyway? You flirt with most of your friends anyway.”

Johnny had a point. Ten didn’t have to elaborately court Kun. He’d never really elaborately dated _anyone_ , most of his relationships being casual or flings or one night stands, not counting his teenage years when all love seemed like life or death. The singular regular relationship he had had in Korea was when he’d arrived, and was still wary of the dating culture in a foreign place. He could just hang out with Kun like friends do, as Ten does with all friends in the limited free time that he has now. Kun agrees to meet up too easily for a decision Ten spent _time_ and _energy_ agonizing over.

They meet at a cafe again, but it’s just a starting point for the day. Ten had insisted that he wanted to show Kun this popup art installation and Kun had seemed interested so they’d decided to make a day of it.

“It’s supposed to be a statement,” Ten told Kun while they were in line for coffee.

“What kind of statement?” Kun asked, frowning at the pictures from the article Ten showed him.

“The artsy kind!”

“Can you keep your arms to yourself?” A familiar voice piped up, causing Ten to look around for the source. Doyoung looked back at him with a deadpan expression from beside them, looking sleep deprived.

“Since when have you been here?” Ten yelped, jumped back only to have Kun’s hand steady him. Maybe overdramatic lives _did_ matter.

“Like 5 seconds,” Doyoung said tiredly. Ten almost pitied him, if he didn’t know that Doyoung’s state was entirely self-inflicted and the other had probably stayed up all night binge watching Youtube videos. “Just here for my caffeine intake. Continue on your day,” The tone was dismissive but the mournful look he shot the coffee was pitiful.

“Do you want us to get coffee for you?” Kun asked pleasantly. “You seem tired.”

“No, it’s fine, I have my- holy shit,” Doyoung stopped mid-sentence, frowning at Kun.

“Your?” Ten egged on but was ignored.

“You’re- handsome,” Doyoung finally said and Kun flushed. It was a pretty sight, making Ten want to coo, but he couldn’t show weakness in front of Doyoung. “Really handsome. Wow. Nice.”

Ten figured that if Doyoung had been a little more awake, he would have said things beyond short sentences but thankfully, they were all saved by a man sliding up next to Doyoung with two cups, handing one to Doyoung. The man was unfamiliar to Ten, which was odd because Ten knew all 5 of Doyoung’s friends, himself included.

“This is your-?” Ten asked, remembering Doyoung’s cut off sentence.

“My? He’s not mine,” Doyoung muttered, while his companion smirked.

“You accepted coffee from a random stranger?” Kun asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Gotta get that caffeine,” Doyoung responded, without much emotion in his voice, still occupied with consuming the beverage.

“I’m Yuta,” Doyoung’s companion said, extended a hand and shaking both of their hands in a firm handshake. “Not a stranger.”

“He means nothing to me,” Doyoung added.

“Ignore him, I refused to get him a double shot of espresso, he’s just being pissy about it,” Yuta said brightly.

“I’m Ten, this is Kun,” Ten said. “I’ve never met you before, I could have sworn I know all of Doyoung’s friends.”

“Oh, Ten! You’re the one with the landlord situation, right? And I’m not surprised, I’m Doyoung’s dirty little secret,” Yuta said and Doyoung finally showed signs of life, rolling his eyes at Yuta’s comment.

“He won’t leave me alone,” Doyoung whined. “He’s _everywhere_. He’s stalking me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, babe,” Yuta said drily. “I have a job, you know.”

“I _know_ ,” Doyoung sighed deeply. “Because it’s right across _my_ job, and I have to see you all the time being all- sweaty. It’s unhygienic!”

“Oh, sweaty,” Ten butted into their squabble. “What do you do?”

“I’m a dance instructor at Vision Studios,” Yuta said, not before throwing Doyoung a fond look which the latter completely missed on account of him burying his face in his coffee cup again.

“Oh! Me too! I’m a dance instructor, not at Vision Studios- obviously,” Ten rambled before stopping himself. Yuta’s eyes brightened and his interest peaked, and Ten recalled a similar moment earlier with Sicheng. It was nice to find people so passionate about dance again, after so long being stuck in a workplace that sucked the soul and creativity out of dance for him. “What do you teach?”

“Street and Salsa,” Yuta responded, all three startling when Doyoung chokes on his drink.

“Like, together?” Ten asked, ignoring his friend who was turning red.

“No, no, separately,” Yuta said, still distracted by Doyoung, who was now breathing out aggressively. “What about you?”

“I specialize in contemporary. I was starting to annoy my coworker with some tap dancing before -” Ten paused, sighed, then continued. “- I got fired.”

“Oh, how c-” Whatever Yuta was about to say was interrupted by the barista and Ten looked up, realizing they were in front of the line. They quickly ordered and stood off to the side, waiting for their drinks.

“Anyway,” Doyoung said after he’d chugged the last bit of liquid from the cup, trashing it. “Gotta run.” And with that, he left, waving goodbye and disappearing out the door before anyone but Kun could say goodbye back. Yuta sighed, said his goodbyes much more slowly to Ten as they exchanged numbers, and then took off after Doyoung.

“Well,” Ten said. “That was interesting.”

“Mhm,” Kun hummed, still watching the door the two had disappeared from with an amused gaze.

“Doyoungie finally has a crush,” Ten cooed as they got their coffees and left the cafe, no longer lingering around, heading straight towards the installation.

“It’s cute,” Kun said, smiling and Ten smiled back, the _you’re cute_ rattling around in his head but never escaping his lips.

The installation was fine, Ten getting a few really cool pictures he’d show to Johnny later, but the company is better by miles. Kun was bright, getting the point of the installation almost instantly, explaining it to Ten enthusiastically. He let Ten poke fun at him with an easy smile and let Ten take his picture. He learned more about Kun over lunch, about his job as a music producer, his life living with Sicheng in the same apartment building as Jaehyun. About Sicheng and Jaehyun and how they keep tiptoeing around their _obvious_ feelings for each other. He heard in length about Chenle and Renjun, Kun’s pseudo-younger brothers, who are singers working with Kun’s agency. Ten, in turn, talked about Johnny and how he’s going to get the truth out of Doyoung and how the chicken tastes weird to him. Kun then tells him he could make him better chicken and the words _it’s a date_ are at the tip of Ten’s tongue but refuse to slip out.

After, when they’re browsing titles at a used bookstore, Ten learned Kun’s fascination with magic and fantasy, listening to him talk about tricks and lore for a little too long as when they finally leave the small store, it’s already dark.

Kun walks Ten to the bus stop and waits with him patiently for the bus, even when it’s obvious it’s running late. When it finally arrives and Ten moves to get on it, Kun places a hand on the small of his back, the support he didn’t _need_ but wanted regardless because it felt nice. A thought nagged at him all the way home until he was lying in bed, echoing _I should have kissed him_ until Ten shook his head. Kissing sounded nice, but finding a job sounded better. He turned around, ready to fall asleep when a message made his phone brighten up the room.

 _Kun_  
got home safe  <3

<3.

< 3.

Alright then. He sent an answer back before turning around, shoving his phone under his pillow and pointedly keeping his mind away from any fantasies as he slipped off to into a long dreamless sleep.

Which was probably for the best, since the next few days offered him little respite, job interviews after job interviews, demos and showcases, leaving him too stressed to rest well even in the comfort of his bed. It would have been worth it, though, if he got employment out of it but so far, no such luck. His account was running dangerously low, with Ten staring at his online bank statement blankly when Doyoung waltzed into his home, arms full of groceries.

“You should really lock your door,” The taller man said, carefully placing the bags on the tiny breakfast bar. “You don’t wanna get robbed. Unless you do.”

“Yeah? Rob me and what money?” Ten groaned, closing his laptop and burning his face in his arms over it.

“Did you eat yet?” Doyoung asked and Ten looked up wearily. He didn’t like where this was going.

“Are _you_ going to cook?”

“God, no,” Doyoung said, showing him his phone with a food delivery app open. Ten sighed in relief.

“Yes, please feed me,” Ten fake sobbed, letting his head fall back into his arms, coming dangerously close to a real sob when Doyoung absently patted him in the head. He stayed like that, tears silently dripping down as Doyoung carded fingers through his hair with one hand, likely ordering way too much food with the other.

“So,” Ten said after a moment, voice thick. He swallowed before continuing. “What’s up with you and that Yuta guy?”

“Urgh,” Ten heard. Ten braced himself, ready for Doyoung to tear into Yuta as he did everyone else, with long petty tirades, nitpicking at ridiculous things. “He’s so- _urgh_.”

Ten waited, but nothing else came and Ten looked up, seeing Doyoung pouting at his phone.

“I- Is that it?” Ten asked hesitantly. “Did someone actually make you speechless?”

“I am _not_ speechless,” Doyoung said indignantly.

“Then tell me about Yuta,” Ten said, wanting to distract himself.

“We kept running into each other because we work so close and he keeps _flirting_ with me, it’s awful, he’s so bad at it. His pick up lines are so cheesy, they’re ad- abhorrent. Terrible. He’s such. Such a nuisance. Makes my day hell 3 to 4 times a week. Horrible,” Doyoung said haltingly.

“Oh, God, he broke you,” Ten said in wonder and watched Doyoung _blush_. Ten hadn’t known Doyoung came with the ability to blush.

“Don’t be ridiculous. How’s the job search going?”

Ten let his head fall back into his arms, half listening to Doyoung as he talked about maybe getting a part-time job at a retail store or supermarket if he was running so low on money and Ten half agreed, already looking for jobs he was overqualified for just to make ends meet. It didn’t make him as sad as he thought, his friend’s even, rational voice helping to keep him calm and grounded. It wasn’t until the food had arrived and they were tucking in that the subject changed from practical advice and help to more personal things.

“How’s your handsome friend?” Doyoung asked and Ten rolled his eyes.

“You may not want to claim Yuta but Kun is _mine_ ,” Ten said, sticking his tongue out at Doyoung, who flipped him off in response. “He’s good. Living life. Being the best person.”

“Okay, then,”

“I’m gonna ask him out as soon as I get a proper job,” Ten promised, although he didn’t know to whom since Doyoung was now thoroughly distracted by the chicken. Maybe to himself.

Of course, this proves being easier said than done, with days falling away to fruitless labour, willpower draining away with each rejection call or just the lack of any contact. He’d almost given up, morosely looking through listings for stores that were hiring when Yuta’s name, of all the things, lit up his phone.

“Hello?” He answered the call, confusion bleeding into his voice.

“Hey! Ten, it’s Yuta. Doyoung’s- we met at the cafe?”

“I know who you are,” Ten replied, amused.

“Right! I remember you saying you were unemployed and specialized in contemporary?”

“Um, yes?” Ten’s eyes shot to the time, wondering why Yuta wanted to talk dance at well past 11 at night.

“So, listen, the dance studio is looking for someone to fill our Modern Dance classes. It’s not a full-time thing, but the pays good and- Bye! - and you should try out.” Yuta proposed, sounding excited. Ten considered it before admitting there’d be no harm in trying. He wasn’t exactly looking for a part-time job but a part-time job as an actual instructor would pay better than full time at retail anyway. He asked Yuta the details and wrote them down, feeling some hope blossom in his chest as he took in Yuta’s melodic, excited voice, making him smile.

“Thanks, man,” Ten said once they’d gotten the business part over with. “I really, really appreciate it.”

“Don’t worry about it! Doyoung said you’re really good and he doesn’t compliment people easily, so the manager took it to heart.”

“Doyoung did, huh,” Ten grinned. “You talk to him a lot?”

Yuta laughed, infectious and bright.

“I am his stalker, aren’t I?” Yuta said playfully. “I see him right now.”

“Did you _just_ leave the studio?” Ten asked, eyebrows raised.

“Yes, but I have a key. It’s just me and a couple of others, there are no classes this late. Should I offer to walk him home?”

“Definitely,” Ten said, already imagining Doyoung’s fake annoyance at the gesture. “Good luck!”

“Thanks, see you tomorrow, kiddo,” Yuta hung up before Ten could remind him he was not a _kiddo_ but he let it slide for the man who was potentially getting him a job.

-

“You can do this,” Doyoung said unhelpfully from beside him, munching on a sandwich as they stood in front of the door of the studio. “Can you go in already, my lunch break ends in like 15 minutes?”

“Shut up, get lost, you’re useless,” Ten muttered. He wasn’t sure why he was psyching himself out, the worst they could do was reject him. Which was _fine_. It’s not like he’d never been rejected before.

“Stop picking at your skin. It’s fine, _Yuta_ works there, why wouldn’t they hire you?”

“Don’t praise me by insulting your boyfriend,” Ten shot back and watched Doyoung choke on his sandwich in mild amusement. “I looked him up, you know, and the studio. He’s phenomenal, _and_ the studio is actually raising up the ranks.”

“Don’t care. Not my boyfriend,” Doyoung said, before chugging his water way too quickly. Ten fiddled with his phone, looking up at the building before looking at the time on his phone. A new message was displayed on the lock screen.

 _Kun_  
good luck! you can do this! (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧

Ten smiled at the emoji and took a deep breath. It was fine. Everything was _fine_. Just fine. Absolutely-

“Can you come down and get Ten? He’s panicking in front of the building. What do you mean how did I get your number, you never stop giving it to me. Oh, my god, just get down here.” Doyoung looked at his phone as the call ended. “I really wish we still had phones we could snap shut.”

“Did you _memorize_ Yuta’s number? Dude, just ask him out already,” Ten said in disbelief, staring at the unsaved contact on Doyoung’s phone.

“No. Goodbye,” Doyoung crossed the street just as the door opened to reveal a sweaty Yuta in a muscle top. Ten understood why Doyoung scampered away so quickly. The bright smile on his face was enough to make Ten smile back and walk back up with him.

The interview wasn’t complicated, Ten was asked simple questions and then they allowed him to dance. The room was large, and well conditioned, allowing Ten to get comfortable with his body before he used it as a vessel to express what he was listening to. During these moments, he wasn’t nervous. This was what he was born to do, wherever, however, the consequences be damned. It was still an interview, though, and he didn’t let his emotions overtake him, alertly guiding his limbs the way he wanted them to move, exhibiting more grace than his hammering heart showed. He ended with a look at the manager, who was staring at him with a critical eye, although the smile on her face gave him some hope.

He left an hour later, hands clutching a contract that detailed what they were offering and all the benefits that the manager, Seulgi, had talked over with him earlier. He couldn’t believe this. He really, really couldn’t. He walked to the cafe in a daze, letting the smell of coffee bring him back to reality. He looked around, realizing the cafe was buzzing and there was a significant line and the woman he was standing next to would _not_ let him cut in line from the glare she was giving him. It was fine, though, as something else caught his eye as he swept his gaze across the area.

In a corner, buried in a red hoodie, chewing on his lip, was none other than Qian Kun. He had larger headphones in, but his eyes were glazed over as saw once he got closer. It wasn’t until Ten plopped down in front of him that the haze cleared and his eyes focused on Ten, resulting in a wide smile.

“Hi! How’d your interview go?” Kun asked and Ten stared at his bright eyes before shaking himself.

“You’re now talking to an employed person,” Ten boasted and Kun gasped before letting out a laugh that warmed Ten to his core.

“I’m really glad,” Kun said, sincerity dripping from his voice and Ten smiled at him fondly. “You should come over, I’ll cook you something nice.”

“Hey,” Ten said and Kun looked at him, giving him his full attention. It was nice, and a little scary, but mostly nice. “Go on a date with me.”

Kun’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open slightly, blood rushing to his cheeks as Ten leaned over to put a hand over his on the table.

“I- I don’t know when yet, because I haven’t gotten my schedule and I realize it’s pretty dumb to ask you now when things are so unclear, and I could potentially be ruining a great friendship and oh, my god, what am I doi-”

“Ten,” Kun said, intertwining this finger through some magic trickery, making Ten’s heart beat against his ribcage. “I’d love to go out on a date with you. Whenever.”

“Okay. Okay, good,” Ten said. He put his head down on the table, giddy as Kun’s thumb started stroking his hand soothingly. He could get used to this.

It took a while for Ten to make good on his promise, his life having turned hectic quickly in the wake of the new job. He took on as many classes as he could, eager to get back into the game. He actually actively enjoyed being at his new workplace and he saw Doyoung more often, which was more fun whenever Yuta was around. Ten loved few things more than teasing his friends and nagging on Doyoung for a change. However, despite his busy schedule, he tried to make time for Kun. It wasn't hard, Kun already settled in comfortably into every nook and cranny of Ten's life and it was easy, easy to fall into a relationship with him when they texted all day whenever they could, FaceTimed while Kun was grocery shopping and even hung out, working together as Kun edited his works while Ten researched or just watched Netflix, his head on Kun's shoulder, cuddling his arm. But Ten refused to call them dates because he was going to take Kun out on a real proper date, once they were both free and had the time and energy for it.

They finally decided on a date three weeks after Ten started working and butterflies zoomed around in Ten's stomach, easing as his friends showed up to his place to help him. He didn't really need all of them but they couldn't exactly kick them out once they'd shown up.

“I still don’t understand why he’s here,” Doyoung grumbled and Ten would have rolled his eyes if he wasn’t terrified of Donghyuck, who was currently doing his make-up and working on his eyes.

“Not everyone likes dressing like a librarian, maybe?” Yuta shot back from Ten’s room. “I can hear you, you know!”

“I don’t care,” Doyoung yelled back before huffing, before catching Johnny’s eye. “What?”

“Since when has this been going on?” Johnny asked patiently.

“This? What this? There’s no this?” Doyoung said exasperatedly.

“I don’t know but definitely more than a month,” Ten replied and Johnny hummed.

“Everybody getting a boyfriend but me, huh,” Donghyuck pouted, a whine slipping into his voice. Ten heard Johnny pat Donghyuck before Donghyuck told him he could open his eyes and shoved a mirror in his face. Ten admired Donghyuck’s work, a soft look with neutral eyeshadow and a hint of liner. The highlighter was just the right amount for Ten.

“I love it,” Ten said and Donghyuck brightened, giggling when Ten leaned up to peck him on the cheek.

“You know,” Yuta said, coming out of his room with an armful of clothes. “My TA thinks you’re cute.”

“Really?” Donghyuck asked. “Which one?”

“Yeah, which one?” Johnny repeated, narrowing his eyes at Yuta.

“I only have two, god,” Yuta protested.

“They’re both adorable,” Donghyuck said, nodding to himself. “Which one thinks I’m cute. Tell me.”

“I don’t think I should anymore,” Yuta said wearily in response to the mischievous glint in Donghyuck’s eyes. “Try this.”

As Ten changed in his room, he could still hear Donghyuck trying to get the name out of Yuta and Yuta relenting surprisingly quickly.

“Wait, Kun’s Yukhei?” Ten asked stepped out of the room, getting greeted by wolf whistles and cheering. God, his friends were _embarrassing_.

“You look _hot_ ,” Yuta crowed. “And, yes, probably. Why am I not surprised that that’s your first thought?”

“Pretty sure Kun’s been his solitary thought all day today,” Johnny teased. It was true, but he shouldn’t _say_ it.

“I’m _finally_ going on a proper date with the man I adore, let me live,” Ten said, fixing his outfit in the full-length mirror. Kun was going to swoon, it would be amazing. Any retorts his friends may have had were cut short by the doorbell ringing and the entire apartment freezing before jumping into action, Johnny dashing for the door while Doyoung and Yuta put away the access clothes and accessories away. Donghyuck snuck by Johnny, waiting near the door.

“Hey, Kun!” Johnny said, opening the door. Johnny and Kun had already met before and Ten thanked the Lord they’d hit it off because Ten would have serious doubts about pursuing anyone who didn’t get along with Johnny.

“Hi, Johnny, how’re you? Hello, Donghyuck,” Kun greeted Donghyuck’s head and eyes which could be seen behind Johnny’s shoulder.

“Hi,” Donghyuck responded. “You look nice. Your Yukhei thinks I’m cute.”

“I’m aware,” Kun said with a laugh. Ten finally made his way to the door, shoving the other two aside to get to the vision waiting for him. Kun _did_ look good, with a warm smile waiting for him.

“Hey, beautiful,” Ten said cheekily, winking at Kun, who didn’t fail to blush, although he reached his hand out, grabbing Ten’s and pulling him out of his home and closer to him.

“You ready to leave?” Kun asked, close, and Ten nodded mutely. He took the phone Donghyuck shoved into his hands and he already had his wallet.

“Your coat!” Yuta yelled and Ten took it from him and dragged Kun away from his apartment.

“Get back safe!” He heard Doyoung call out.

“Get the fuck out of my apartment,” Ten yelled back, just as the elevator shut. Kun’s hand was still in his and Ten leaned against him as they waited for the elevator to descend.

"You look amazing," Kun said as the numbers started counting down. Ten knew this and yet hearing Kun say it made heat rush to his cheeks. It was ridiculous. Kun made him feel ridiculous things.

"Thanks," Ten replied, going for coy. "You don't look so bad yourself."

The night they’d planned out wasn’t anything particularly special, or anything they hadn’t done before. They’d gone for a movie and dinner before, but now the sentiment was different, and everything, from the way Kun put his arm around Ten at the theatre to the way Ten pressed a kiss onto the back of Kun’s hand, felt magical. The argument about the movie afterwards was familiar to Ten, as he argued just to rile Kun up, pecking his cheek in defeat once they arrived at the restaurant. Dinner tasted better than usual, even though it was a restaurant they’d frequented before. 

“You know,” Ten mused as they walked home hand in hand. “None of this would have happened if I didn’t misremember Johnny’s number.”

“Maybe getting fired wasn’t so bad, after all, huh?” Kun said, squeezing his hand. Ten stopped, causing their hands to tug and Kun to pull back, stepping closer to Ten. He raised an eyebrow questioningly and it was ridiculously attractive. _He_ was ridiculously attractive. Ten guided him to some steps and made him stay put as he climbed on, turning to face him. Kun already had an amused smile on his face as looked up at Ten.

“Hi,” He said with a grin as Ten wrapped his arms around his neck. "Do you enjoy feeling tall?"

“Hey,” Ten said back softly, looking at Kun with such tenderness. The moment became fragile like one misstep could collapse everything and Ten leaned in, letting his eyes flutter shut when Kun’s hands came to rest at his waist, pulling him closer. "Maybe I do."

The first press of lips is innocuous, lending to the ballooning of emotions until they spilt out as the kisses became deeper, but still grounded, Kun's hands keeping Ten from flying off. Kun’s lips were soft if slightly chewed out, and Ten fell headfirst into the kiss, almost tripping off the steps. He was caught by the waist by Kun, breaking their kiss with laughter. Kun looked beautiful below his, lips read and full, eyes full of fondness.

“Careful,” Kun whispered and Ten smiled back, nodding before leaning in for another kiss, tangling his fingers in Kun’s hair, feeling his smile against his lips.

Maybe that _fucking_ studio and this _fucking_ country, even his stupid fucking phone that died when Ten needed it the most, weren't so bad if they got Ten to this point, standing under the moonlight in bliss. 

**Author's Note:**

> come talk to me on twitter @nyankamoto or on curiouscat @nyankamoto


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